Both peaks round trip took us 8.5 hours. —-Crampons are a necessity and snowshoes would be a massive help. We left our snowshoes behind to spare the weight on our backs when we weren’t using them, but then regretted it as we hiked to Esther in snow so deep that it came up to our waists in certain areas.

The views on the trail are breathtaking. The climb up to whiteface was intense: icy, drop offs, wind... when we reached the wall, the amount of snow made it almost impossible, but a hiker before us carved out a bit of a path and our trek poles kept us steady.

Perfect day out for a winter ascent. No need for showshoes, although we brought them the whole way up and down with us just in case. Definitely need microspikes the whole hike (we did see two guys without but I’m not sure how well they managed descending without). Packed snow the whole trail - easy to follow. Took my husband and I 4 hrs, 15 min at a fairly leisurely pace (for us) and spending a good 15 minutes at each summit.

Just completed this hike yesterday. Trail is very straight forward and took about 5 hours to complete with moderate amount of breaks. I didn’t have micro spikes nor snow shoes so the amount of ice on the trail made it very challenging. Crampons would be too much but I’d say micro spikes would have helped significantly. Views at the top of both mountains were amazing. Recommend to anyone looking for a moderately challenging day hike in the Adirondacks.

Did both summits today. New Years Day. Microspikes are needed. Make sure they are sharp. Lots of ice. Glad I had this app as the summit of Porter is nondescript. Cascade was ridiculously windy,icy and somewhat dangerous on top. No views today. Took me 4 1/2 hours for the 6 miles. Probably only a 20 minute break.

This was my first time up Whiteface and Esther, attempting to complete the Adirondack 46. Steep climb to start for the first two miles. Once you reach the junction about two miles in, the walk to Esther is fairly easy compared to the beginning of the hike. The hike to Whiteface is steeper, but crossing and old ski lift and the wall breaks it up a bit with some cool views. The ridge over to Whiteface was a windy one, winds up to 40mph and -11° on the summit. The summit was set in the clouds but made for an awesome setting! Definitely wear the microspikes and bring snowshoes just in case! Loved this hike!

Great hike.....definitely needed micro spikes.... for someone like me coming to terms with my fear of heights (actually it’s a fear of falling) the top of Cascade offered beautiful views but challenged my phobia ... very exposed .. very open... I imagined sliding off the top but then got over myself.... that’s the point of all of this isn’t it? And it always helps hiking with your very best, very experienced friend.

Spiks were required ( some people without them had to turn around). Couldn’t really use snowshoes even if i wanted. I suggest to do Porter first ( uneventful). Top of Cascade was covered with clouded and couldn’t stand ( at the top) due to strong winds ( lost my orange heat ;( )

Hiked this 11/10. Went counter clockwise. Broke trail trough 4” and then 12” getting closer to the ridge. It was difficult in a snow storm. The nice thing about this trail is that if the weather gets too bad, you can always take a trail breaking east to the river and come back another day.

11/17/18 - fun hike, definitely glad to follow the route here and save cascade for last as porter was great but much less climactic. Lots of wind at the top of both so either don’t spend more than a minute or be prepared. Brought along snowshoes because we were told by a worker at EMS that you can be fined for not carrying/wearing them but we just carried them the whole way and wore crampons and gaiters. Mountain got fresh snow the day and night before but by 9 am the trail was pretty packed down. Started later than we would have liked and ran into 2 or 3 10+ groups so if you want solitude definitely go early. Make sure to constantly take sips from your camelback to keep it from freezing! Especially when up on the summits. Started around 9:10, stopped multiple times for food/equipment/layer changes, flew down after both summits and got to the car around 3:00.

This was a beautiful trail. Some sections were steep and rocky, but overall it was very doable. Some of the ice at the top has turned to slush with the rain the last few days. Microspikes are needed about an hour into the trail. Use the app to tell where the summit of Porter is because it's not too well-marked on the trail. The 360-degree views from the top of Cascade are breathtaking.

Oct. 27th 2018 Did this trail this morning. I was reading the reviews for this trail and to all the people on here saying to bring your micro spikes, thank you. Lifesaver. When we started it wasn’t snowing but I knew as the day goes on lake placid would be getting some snowfall. The 2 hours it took to reach the peak it was snowing pretty bad at the top it felt like glass shards hitting your face. Although we couldn’t see the amazing view this trail has to offer it was still breathtakingDefinitely want to come back to do this trail on a clear day.

If you hike this past mid October, I highly suggest you pack micro spikes. 90% of the assent was cover in ice. This is a LONG hike. It took me about 8 hours 40 minutes of straight hiking to complete it (not counting some brief breaks). If you're not going for your 46, I would leave this one alone.

I’d recommend this during mid summer, before the leaves start falling, and the herd path is more visible. A 6 mile or so hike to the bottom of grace to set up camp, is the only way to not end up on icy peaks at dark when the days are shorter. Fill up water before you start the climb, and pack up camp early to get walking by dawn. Have water proof boots, gloves, a wind proof shell and layers to shed to avoid sweating too much. Stash your heavy items at s. Dix to get Malcolm a little lighter footed. Marked mileage is as the crow flies, don’t underestimate the increased distance with grade. We clocked 22 miles coming out at round lake after midnight. Challenging hike, keep up on weather beforehand and have a emergency plan. A twisted ankle between peaks could make for dangerous situation.

Started very early (with headlamp) and witnessed daybreak on top of Marble Mountain. Needed to put on crampons about 1 hour in. Herd path to Esther is fun and easy to follow even if there is no view once there. No mud today as everything is frozen. I found the last portion up Whiteface is not as steep or strenuous as others like Algonquin or Marcy. Since the road was closed to traffic, I decided to use it to get back to my car and enjoyed many more views than those on the trail. Total time including short breaks: 6.5 hours, milleage 12.3

Did this hike on 10/22/18. Started about 6:30am. The hike is relatively simple for high peaks. Low effort high reward at least for the views on cascade. 360 views on cascade were absolutely stunning. Hit porter on the way back down. Porter is a very unassuming summit as I stood on the summit but did not see a summit marker so i kept hiking. Thankfully I had service up there (Verizon) and pulled out the AllTrails app and realized I had hiked too far. 180 views on porter summit are stunning as well. Lots of ice on the trail so be prepared with micro spikes.

Good elevation gain for the length of the hike. Pretty well marked trails and amazing views up top. Pretty icy and windy up on cascade. Definitely wear spikes. Porter summit can be misleading and doesn’t offer the same amazing views as cascade but still worth the small trek out after Cascade.

A great "short" hike in the ADK. Elevation from the start, and hit the peak of Giant within 2 hours. Some ice along the way, but didn't need the spikes. Giant was Cloud Covered but with the wind blowing ( 70mph gust) I was hoping RPR would be good. Like others said .. there is some work going down Giant to RPR, steep and muddy. Going up RPR was fine, and the peak was WOW, amazing. When I reached the bald summit, incredible view and 360 degree views. One of my favorites. Round trip for me was 6.5 hours, and I'm not a fast hiker.

What a great hike! An enjoyable introduction to the ADK 4ks. I mainly hike in the White Mountains, so this trail was a little less rugged than I am used to. The trail is maintained, but could use water bars in a few places before the Y intersection. It was extremely windy on the top of Cascade--what fun! I recommend carrying microspikes if you hike this from now until April. We began early, and spikes were certainly needed. By the time we were coming down, the ice was melting and all the snow had melted from the trees. Still, would recommend traction throughout the winter for the slabby sections!

hit this on 10/16. solo it took me 6 hours to reach both peaks and return, I didn't stop very often except for the peaks. towards the top, things were a bit icy, and the descent from Giant to RPR was definitely the toughest; I went for a few tumbles. was able to get away without microspikes, but it looks.like those days are numbered. Bring layers, it was mid 50s at the base, but ~5 degrees with wind chill at the top.